Innovation on the Warehouse Floor: A New Approach to Lower-Carbon Logistics

Innovation on the Warehouse Floor—Literally

Concrete and steel are among the most widely used materials in construction and two of the largest contributors to embodied carbon in logistics buildings. Reducing their use—even incrementally—can have a measurable impact. Any alternative must maintain the strength and durability required for heavy, continuous operations. 

Prologis has been exploring lower-carbon building materials for several years, including mass timber to reduce reliance on steel. At Venlo DC9, steel components—made from recycled content to support circularity—are connected with screws and bolts to enable easy disassembly and future reuse. 

After exploring ways to lower the carbon footprint of our steel structures, we turned our attention to another major contributor to embodied carbon emissions in logistics buildings: the concrete floor slab. 

Evaluating Lower-Carbon Flooring Systems Side by Side

At Venlo DC9, we installed four different flooring systems side by side—three lower-carbon solutions alongside a traditional slab used as a baseline for comparison. Each offers a different profile in terms of performance, material use and carbon impact.

1. Sigma slab: Using post-tensioning steel strands and steel fiber reinforcement, we created a jointless, zero-shrinkage floor system with the same structural load-bearing capacity. The result was a 19% carbon reduction compared to our baseline slab design.
2. HiberGreen: Using traditional steel top mesh reinforcement and a low-carbon concrete mix, we created a thinner, jointless, low-shrinkage floor system with the same structural load-bearing capacity. The result was a 17% carbon reduction compared to our baseline slab design.
3. PRIMX slab: Using self-stressing concrete technology and steel fiber reinforcement, we created a thinner, jointless, zero-shrinkage floor system with the same structural load-bearing capacity—resulting in a 46% carbon reduction compared to our baseline slab design.
4. Traditional slab (baseline): A conventional, thicker concrete floor using standard materials and methods, providing a performance benchmark against which the other systems can be directly compared.

Each floor type was matched to its function, helping maximize environmental benefits while maintaining performance, reducing future maintenance and supporting automation and robotics solutions.

We gained valuable insights and cut over 500 metric tons of embodied carbon in the floor scope alone—demonstrating how tailored flooring solutions can deliver clear, measurable carbon savings.

Building for Sustainability

The low-carbon building approach and material innovations at Venlo DC9 are part of a broader sustainability strategy. Outside the facility, landscaped areas designed with ecological input introduce biodiversity while creating usable space for employees. Above it all, a 3.3-megawatt rooftop solar installation generates renewable energy for both on-site use and the local grid.

Future-Proofing Logistics Infrastructure

Each decision may be incremental, but together they reflect a more deliberate approach to development that is grounded in performance, efficiency and long-term value. At Venlo DC9, proven solutions are applied side by side to better understand how buildings can reduce carbon, optimize materials and perform under real-world conditions.

Sustainability and performance are no longer trade-offs. At Venlo DC9, they go hand in hand, delivering measurable carbon reductions without compromising the strength, durability and reliability that modern logistics demand.